B vitamins and cognitive performance in older adults: Review

A copious amount of scientific scrutiny has been dedicated to documenting typical and atypical human ageing, with a substantial body of work focusing upon the impact of lifestyle choices. One such lifestyle choice is that of diet and, in particular, micronutrient ingestion. Epidemiological studies have reported positive associations between B vitamin status and cognitive function, including negative associations between biological markers (i.e., homocysteine) of dysregulated one-carbon metabolism and cognitive function. This has led to a surge of randomised control trials (RCTs) investigations into B vitamin therapy. However, results have continuingly failed to show beneficial behavioural effects. Despite this, results reliably show treatment-related increases in B vitamin level and decreases in homocysteine level—both of which have been identified as risk factors for atypical ageing. In this paper we argue that it would be premature to conclude that B vitamin therapy has no potential and that more research is needed to systematically investigate the optimal dose, the therapeutic “window,” and individual differences in therapy responders and nonresponders. We start with a brief look at one-carbon metabolism and then consider the evidence from epidemiological studies and RCTs in relation to three specific B vitamins: folic acid (B9), pyridoxine (B6), and cobamides (B12)

We’ll All Shout Together in that Morning : Iconicity and Sacred Harp Singing on Sand Mountain, Alabama

This thesis explores the cultural context of Sacred Harp singing on Sand Mountain, Alabama. Using Stephen Feld’s concept of “iconicity of style,” I demonstrate that Sacred Harp singing is more than just a form of music, but an overarching aesthetic that ties together multiple forms of cultural expression and social interaction. Sacred Harp singing occurs in many different contexts on Sand Mountain, ranging from church services, to organized singings, to impromptu social events. Its presence in all these realms connects the sacred and the secular, bridging diverse aspects of Sand Mountain culture. As I investigate the place of Sacred Harp within this geographically and demographically distinct region of Alabama, I show how it forms the basis for the construction of complex individual and group identities. Notions of “tradition” are especially important to Sand Mountain singers, who attempt to preserve singing practices and stylistic elements from earlier generations. Sacred Harp singing not only ties together disparate social realms; participants believe that it connects families and communities across time and space, linking present and past generations. In my analysis of the social context of Sacred Harp singing on Sand Mountain, I convey a much more detailed understanding of the iconic nature of the musical form than exists in previous scholarship, greatly adding to scholarly understanding of the cultural context of this musical form

An Investigation of Parents’ and Children’s Perceptions about Their Participation in a Community-Based Swim Team Program

Why are young swimmers smiling after two hours of intense, daily swim team practices filled with swimming countless laps and focusing on improving their various swimming strokes? What drives parents to willingly transport their children to and from their local YMCAs for swim team practices? Why are swim team participants willing, and even eager, to sit in steamy, hot swimming pool areas and watch or swim in competitive events that last for hours and hours? These are simply a few questions one might have when considering the amount of time, involvement, and commitment required while participating in a community-based YMCA swim team program. This study investigated the perceptions of parents and children about their participation in such a program

Violin Bow-Hand Prosthetic

The violin bow hand prosthetic was designed for a young violin player seeking to upgrade the functionality of his current violin prosthetic device. His current device is rigid, forcing him to play mostly with his shoulder. Since the strength of his wrist was unknown, we designed a prosthetic with enough brace flexibility to enable the user to control the bow motion with his own wrist. We also added an axis of rotation and spring mechanism to supplement this motion and provide him the equivalence of fine finger adjustments. The full design process of the prosthetic is documented in this report, including initial research, proof of concept models, calculations, two rounds of prototypes, CAD drawings, and design refinement analysis. The entire assembly cost $ 52.88, excluding freely provided 3D-printing services and tools. The final prototype is made of a brace, four 3D-Printed parts, some fasteners, and some springs. Of the 3D-Printed parts, the first connects to the brace and the second part pivots about the first via a shoulder bolt. The rotation is constrained to 30 degrees (either direction) by some internal stoppers, and controlled by Coulomb damping and four springs which seek to bring the part pack to a straight equilibrium position. The third and fourth 3D-Printed parts are caps to the slots which hold the bow. These are fastened with bolt inserts and wing nuts, and are shaped in such a way as to minimize damage to the bow when it is gripped

The Regolith Biters: A Divide-And-Conquer Architecture for Sample-Return Missions

The collective interaction of simple systems can be leveraged to attain complex goals. Based on this principle, we envision space system architectures where the core functional components are decoupled, autonomous, and cooperative. We aim to pursue this vision in the context of small-body sample-return missions. After all, no experimental study sheds more light into our understanding of the origin and evolution of the Solar System than the analysis of samples from asteroids and comets. We also believe that their study is important from a strategic perspective: meteorite impacts pose a direct and credible threat to life on Earth, and the development of contingency small-body deflection missions presupposes some knowledge of the target body. The current architectural paradigm for sample-return missions is centered around a design where spacecraft and sampling device are merged into a single, complex system. We argue that this monolithic approach couples the navigation and sample-collection problems, making both more difficult. In contrast, we propose a decoupled system based on the coordinated interaction between a spacecraft and a collective of small, simple devices - the Regolith Biters (RBs). A spacecraft carrying a number of RBs would travel to the vicinity of a small body. From a favorable vantage point, and while remaining within a safe distance in a non-colliding trajectory, it would release the RBs towards the target body. Upon encountering the body, they would bite the regolith (thus retaining a sample), and eject back to orbit. The spacecraft, being endowed with appropriate navigation and tracking capabilities, would rendezvous with and collect those RBs within its reach, and bring them back to Earth. Separating the navigation and sampling concerns removes the need for proximity operations with the small body-the stage in current architectures that carries the most challenges and risks. Eliminating the need for proximity operations brings back to the discussion the exploration of exciting prospects, like highly active comets, fast-rotating bodies, and binary systems. Distributing the sampling problem among a collective of agents provides the opportunity to sample multiple regions in a single mission. It also provides robustness to various environmental conditions, and may enable the distributed, in situ characterization of the body. In the search for reliability, current architectures rely on complexity: an elaborate system should succeed at once. We rely on numbers: a given agent may fail at any stage, but success is attained by the collective

Wastewater and Mixed Microbial Consortia: a metastudy analysis of Optimal Microbial Fuel Cell configuration

Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) are an area of increasing research for use as an alternative energy source, due to their ability to produce electricity while simultaneously treating organic waste. This meta-study determines the optimal MFC configuration for electricity production, through consideration of the biocatalyst and substrate used. This study focuses primarily on comparing the use of mixed microbial consortia to pure strains of biocatalyst, and the use of waste water in contrast to simple substrates such as; acetate, glucose, and lactate. The use of algae as a substrate, and as a biocatalyst, is also investigated. In this study, only single and dual chamber MFCs are compared, and power density standardised to anode surface area (mW/m2) is used as a metric to facilitate the comparison of different experimental setups. This meta-study shows that dual chamber MFCs, using simple substrates, when catalysed by mixed culture biocatalysts, produce greater power densities, than algae, and complex substrates, with average power densities of 280, 70 and 30 (mW/m2) observed respectively. In single chamber MFC configurations, mixed culture biocatalysts have been observed to yield approximately double the power output of pure culture biocatalysts

Factors influencing Healthy Eating Habits among Low-Income African Americans in Tennessee

Introduction: Poor nutrition and diet are significant contributors to the development of chronic illnesses such as cancer and diabetes, particularly among individuals of lower socioeconomic status (SES).This study examined demographic and lifestyle factors that influenced decisions to engage in healthy eating behaviors among low-income African Americans in three urban Tennessee cities. Methods: As part of the Meharry Community Networks Program (CNP) needs assessment, a 123-item community survey was administered to assess demographic characteristics and eating behaviors among low-income African Americans. The total sample size was 1116. The primary outcome of interest was the healthy eating habits score which was calculated from a 13-item questionnaire that was part of the community survey. Results: Several statistically significant differences were observed between the mean healthy eating habits scores by sociodemographic variables such as marital status, age, education, and geographic location (P \u3c 0.05). Additionally, significant differences were observed by strategies used for maintaining weight including reducing fat and carbohydrate intake and exercising (P \u3c 0.05). There were also significant differences observed by obstacles to eating low fat foods including family habits and food preparation time (P \u3c 0.05). Discussion: Educational interventions aimed at weight-loss and improving healthy eating should incorporate information about obstacles and predictors to healthy eating